11/05/2025

Country Slices (lightly spiced fruit traybake)

Name: Country Slices (lightly spiced fruit traybake)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 70 g sultanas; 50 g currants; hot black tea ((or hot water or flavoured tea)); 180 g self-raising flour ((or plain/all purpose + 1¾ tsp baking powder)); 1 level tsp baking powder ((can be omitted, but does give extra lift)); ¾ tsp ground mixed spice; 1 pinch salt; 180 g soft butter ((salted or unsalted, plus extra for greasing)); 180 g caster sugar; 3 large eggs ((ideally weighing approx. 180g in total incl. shells)); 2 tbsp milk ((can be replaced with the tea saved from soaking the dried fruit although cake will be darker in colour)); sugar nibs or Demerara sugar

Country Slices are cut from a buttery, light and fruity traybake with a hint of spice. A homemade version of the popular British favourite, this moist bake is quick and simple to make with everyday ingredients but tastes so good alongside a cuppa or as part of an afternoon tea.

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I love homemade cake. Either my partner or I will bake one nearly every weekend. This follows the pattern I knew growing up in the 1970s and early 80s when Mum would always make something sweet to eat with Saturday and Sunday teas.

Back then, mass produced cakes were becoming more common. But they would have been way too expensive for our family of nine on a tight budget. I must confess though, we do now occasionally nip to the local shop when we fancy something sweet in a hurry! But, while it fills the gap, factory-made is nowhere near as good as homemade.

So, I came up with my own version of a popular choice that I thought had loads of potential. The result was my buttery, light and fruity with a hint of spice Country Slices.

WHAT ARE COUNTRY SLICES?

On its website, Britain’s biggest cake brand, Mr Kipling, calls its Country Slices ‘Delicately spiced sponged [sic] baked with sultanas… and currants… topped with nibs of sugar’. I find them to be quite nice, plainish cake bars. But they don’t contain much fruit, and do have damaging palm oil and various ultra-processed ingredients.

As far as I can tell, Country Slices didn’t exist before the fictional Mr Kipling invented them. But the term country or farmhouse is traditionally used to indicate a simple, rustic cake with ingredients readily available to working folk. This is opposed to fancier cakes that might be reserved for special occasions. Or perhaps for the toffs of the village: see Manor House Cake which Mr K also makes (but is apparently based on a real thing).

My Country Slices contain ingredients I always have to hand. Butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour which I sift with mixed spice, salt, and baking powder, plus dried fruit, and milk. To replicate the crunchy top of the original, I’ve sprinkled mine with nib sugar as I love the contrasting texture and the white against the golden-brown top. I buy it online here (paid link), but you could replace with Demerara sugar or just leave off.

I think the result is a lovely, simple cake that’s so good for a sweet treat. In fact, at the risk of getting sued by the imaginary Mr Kipling’s very real lawyers, I might even say they’re ‘exceedingly good’.

You’ll find a recipe card at the end with ingredient amounts and full instructions. But I recommend you read on for extra tips and step-by-step images to guide you.

HOW TO MAKE COUNTRY SLICES

For accuracy when baking, I always recommend you use digital scales (paid link) and metric measurements. This is the way I create and test my recipes, so can’t vouch for the results if you attempt to convert them e.g. to American cups.

To get oblong slices, I make this recipe as a traybake. This also has the advantage of cooking in a much shorter time than a large, deep cake: just 25 minutes. I use a baking tin that’s approximately 26 x 16 cm. But any with a similar capacity is fine. As well as greasing with butter, I line the tin with baking paper.

DRIED FRUIT & SPICE

While my Country Slices do contain dried fruit and spice, I don’t think of them as spiced fruit cakes. To me, they’re light, buttery sponge cakes that are studded with some fruit and have just a hint of spice. I appreciate the difference may be a subtle one though!

To get the dried fruit nicely plump, I soak sultanas and currants in hot black tea. You could use a flavoured tea or just hot water if preferred. Leave until completely cold then drain very well.

You could use the strained liquor in the cake batter instead of milk, although this might affect the colour. To make it less likely to sink to the bottom of the cake, I toss the drained fruit in a little of the measured flour. You might find some still sinks as the batter is very light, but I don’t worry about it too much. This is meant to be an unfussy, rustic bake after all.

MAKE THE SPONGE BATTER & BAKE

The batter is made in the same way as I make any other simple sponge cake.

In a large bowl, and preferably using electric beaters (paid link), beat together the soft butter and the sugar until very light. Next, beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the sifted spiced flour mixture each time. Follow this with 2 tablespoons of milk, one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour each time. Finally, fold in the remaining flour and the dried fruit.

Transfer the batter to your prepared baking tin. For a lightly crunchy topping, sprinkle over as many sugar nibs as you want. Or some Demerara sugar if that’s what you have.

The Country Slices traybake should take approximately 25 minutes to get risen and golden brown. Ovens do vary though, so have a look at around the 18-minute mark. If you think it’s browning quickly while the middle is still wobbly, turn the temperature down a wee bit.

A sign that the bake is done is when you see the edges slightly pulling away from the sides of the tin. If you then gently and briefly press down on the top it should feel springy. To doublecheck, insert a cocktail stick or skewer: it should come out clean.

Put the tin on a wire rack and leave for 5 – 10 minutes before removing the bake. When it’s out of the tin, place it directly on the rack and leave until completely cold before cutting into slices.

Stored in an airtight container the cakes should be good for 3 – 4 days.

EASY COUNTRY SLICES

I’m really pleased I decided to make my version of Country Slices. The sponge is so buttery, light and moist, with just a whisper of mixed spice. Add to that plumped sultanas and currants and I think they’re the perfect, simple treat to have alongside a cuppa.

But I could see them as part of a lovely afternoon tea too; just add some classic sandwiches like ham, egg and cress, salmon and cucumber or, a retro childhood favourite of mine, potted beef.

While mass produced foods can be a boon when you’re short of time, I think there’s really no substitute for homemade. I don’t say mine taste the same as Mr K’s. But, using every day, familiar ingredients and baking methods handed down for generations, I hope you’ll agree that these Country Slices are even better.

Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think.